Guest Artists

At George Mason University, We Bring Greatness to You.

Every semester, artists at the top of their field are on our stages, in our classrooms, and with our students.

You will learn from some of the world’s most successful artists in master classes, lectures, workshops, and artist conversations. We bring over 50 world-renowned performing artists to stages on the George Mason campuses every year and provide free tickets to students. Many of these same artists come into our classrooms to share their expertise. You'll take in exhibitions by leading visual artists and then hear how they transform their vision into inspiring pieces in our studios.

Guest Filmmaker in Action

Above: Burp was written and directed by visiting filmmaker Colette Burson who worked with Film at Mason students on pre-production and on set for the shooting of the film.

Masterclasses

At George Mason, you'll attend master classes with artists at the top of their field. Learn from the instruction and expertise of these nationally and internationally recognized artists. Master classes regularly happen in the Dance, Music, Film, and Theater programs. Recent master classes include sessions with:

DANCE
George Mason School of Dance juniors and seniors with A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham artist, Gianna Theodore, at Movement Workshop.
SCHOOL OF DANCE
See more guest artists at the School of Dance.
FILM
Students interview Visiting Filmmakers Series guest producer Mahrya MacIntire.
FILM AT MASON
See more guest filmmakers
MUSIC
Award-winning pianist Jeremy Denk led a master class with Dewberry School of Music students in fall of 2024
MUSIC
See more guest artists at the Dewberry School of Music.
THEATER
School of Theater students participated in a masterclass with American actress and singer Kelli O'Hara.
THEATER
See more guest artists at the School of Theater.

Lectures and Artist Conversations

Video: Artist Wendy Red Star describes her work to School of Art students in the Visual Voices series. In 2024, Wendy Red Star won a McArthur "Genius" Award. Read about the accomplishments that lead to her award.

Learn From the Masters

George Mason students can hear guest speakers talk about what it takes to succeed in their fields, personal stories, even the nitty-gritty of their art form. Each semester brings many opportunities to hear from rising stars, renowned masters, and industry leaders in music, filmmaking, visual art, dance, game design, theater, arts management, and graphic design in lectures, conversations, and workshops.

ART
Kai Ito, an interdisciplinary installation artist presented his work at the Visual Voices Speaker Series.
ART
Watch more guest lectures from the Visual Voices series on Mason Arts Amplified.
ARTS MANAGEMENT
Megan Beyer, past Executive Director of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, spoke with AMGT students.
ARTS MANAGEMENT
Learn more about guest lectures in Arts Management.
COMPUTER GAME DESIGN
Founder of Atari, Nolan Bushnell, spoke with Game Design students about trends and technology in the industry.
COMPUTER GAME DESIGN
See more guest speakers in Computer Game Design.
VISITING FILMMAKERS SERIES
Filmmaker Stefon Bristol gave a virtual lecture as a part of the 'Black Lives Matter series.'
FILM AT MASON
Find and attend 2024 lectures in the Visiting Filmmakers Series.

Artist Residencies

Prominent artists frequently come to George Mason for a few days, a week, or a semester to teach and mentor students in their craft. These residencies offer more extended and intensive opportunities to work with master artists.

ART
Syrian artist Abdulrahman Naanseh was the Artist Protection Fund Fellow and 2022 Artist-in-Residence at George Mason’s School of Art.
DANCE
See more artists in residence at School of Dance.
DANCE
Ballet Hispánico joined the Center for the Arts as an Artist-in-Residence in the Fall of 2024.
FILM AT MASON
Learn more about the resident filmmakers who work with students on the Mason Film Lab.
FILM AT MASON
Film student collaborates with filmmaker Nefertite Nguvu to produce a short film for Mason Film Lab.
THEATER
See more professional artists in residence at School of Theater.
THEATER
Performer, teacher, and choreographer Ben Bogen taught two masterclasses to Theater students in 2024.
MUSIC
Artist-in-Residence and Grammy-Award winning Silkroad Ensemble gave a masterclass at the CFA to Music students.
MUSIC
See more artists in residence at the Dewberry School of Music.
MUSIC
Latin powerhouse, LADAMA, shared their love for music making with George Mason students.
Free Student Tickets to World Class Performances

Part of your arts education should be spent watching and listening to the experts doing what they do best. At George Mason, we give students free tickets for more than 100 performances each year at the Center for the Arts and the Hylton Performing Arts Center. We believe arts students should be exposed to the best performing arts from around the world, and we prove it: There are 500 free tickets for students for each Great Performances at Mason event. Full-time George Mason students are eligible to get free tickets for music, dance, opera, theater, and more.

Recent performers and performances include:

  • PHILADANCO!
  • Small Island Big Song
  • A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham
  • Virginia Opera
  • Machine de Cirque
  • Silkroad Ensemble
  • Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company
  • Ballet Folklórico de México
  • Chanticleer
  • LADAMA
  • Vienna Boys Choir
  • Hot Sardines
  • Cirque Mei
  • Taj Express
  • The Four Italian Tenors
  • The Manhattan Transfer
  • Mark Morris Dance Group
  • The Mason Originals!
  • The Vienna Boys Choir
  • Dublin Irish Dance
  • Swan Lake
  • The King's Singers
  • Moscow Festival Ballet